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In December of last year, I left a great job to start a new company called Bracket Computing. Bracket is still in stealth mode and we’re not yet sharing details with the outside world, but we have bold plans. As I thought about jumping once more into a startup (my third), I wanted to do something really ambitious and make a lasting impact on the industry and the world. I was fortunate to have a founding team of 12 with similar aspirations.

We’re now about 10 months into our journey. Not yet ready to launch, because anything ambitious often takes time. As a company, we have embraced the motto “Think bold, act with focus.” What this motto means is that we push ourselves to imagine the impossible, but then go after our grand vision with a series of small, logical steps.

I recently read a Tesla news release that I feel embodies this spirit. Tesla announced a series of high-power charging stations that they

Courtesy Tesla

are placing along U.S. interstates. The charging stations include solar panels, so the net power usage is slightly negative (i.e., they put slightly more power into the grid than they consume). These charging stations have extremely high power capability, which allows for 180 miles of range to be injected into a Tesla car in about 30 minutes. Using these charging stations, one could drive a Tesla Model S sedan for four hours (240 miles), stop for lunch/coffee/toilet, then drive another three hours. Additional magic—charging is free to Tesla owners. Wow.

Now I seriously doubt anyone at OPEC global HQ is shuddering over six charging stations deployed across California. But they should be. More than 70 percent (http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/energy-overview/petroleum-oil/) of our oil is consumed in transportation. Yes, it will take a decade or more to build and mature this electric vehicle infrastructure, but there is at long last a path to break our dependence on foreign oil. It’s a journey.

“It’s a journey” is very much the posture we take with our customers. Bracket is attempting to redefine how the corporate data center works—a multibillion-dollar problem. For our first release, we narrowed our focus—the metaphorical equivalent of six charging stations on the interstate. However, enlightened customers can see the potential.

Without a grand, gutsy vision, you are just a small company making another widget. But without decisive action and a sharp focus, you might never get a chance to refuel. Think bold, act with focus.